What Are the Benefits of Getting a Massage?

What Are the Benefits of Getting a Massage?

Feeling stressed and anxious? Struggling with an injury or pain? Or perhaps you’re having a hard time recovering from exercise? If so, book a massage! Its benefits go beyond relaxation and stress relief. Massage therapy not only calms your mind but also relieves pain, improves joint function, and speed up healing.

Massage Therapy at a Glance

This form of treatment has been around for centuries. Today’s research confirms its health benefits. Currently, massage therapy is the most popular complementary medicine profession in Australia. Over 17,000 healthcare professionals specialize in this area.

Therapeutic massage has been proven effective in managing chronic stress, anxiety, delayed onset muscle soreness, chronic low back pain, and other conditions. It also improves the well-being of those with chronic or terminal diseases. Its benefits can be life-changing. This treatment method brings relief, promotes healing, and helps prevent further complications.

What Is Massage Therapy?

Massage therapists manipulate the muscles and soft body tissues to prevent and heal pain, injuries, and other health conditions. This form of treatment improves blood and lymph flow while strengthening and stretching your muscles. Some types of massage can improve organ function. Others balance your hormone levels or boost athletic performance.

This therapy has been around for over 3,000 years. It has its roots in Ancient China, and can be used for a variety of purposes. Evidence shows that regular massage can enhance immune function, decrease anxiety levels, and prevent sports injuries. Moreover, it helps with smoking cessation and wards off depression.

There are several types of massage available, and each has unique benefits. Depending on your needs, you can opt for:

Each type of massage involves different techniques. Tapping, friction, kneading, pricking, stroking, and cupping are just a few to mention. In general, therapists use their hands, fingers, elbows, and forearms during a typical session. Some employ special devices, such as bamboo tools or body rocks.

Even though most people use massage for pain relief, this treatment method has a broad range of applications. Let’s take a closer look at its many benefits!

What Is Massage Therapy Used for?

Massage therapy is widely used to treat acute and chronic pain. About 35 percent of patients use massage as a way to relieve the pain associated with fibromyalgia, sports injuries, back/neck pain or arthritis. According to a study conducted on 74 patients with fibromyalgia, those who received massage for five months reported major improvements in sleep quality, pain, anxiety, and overall quality of life compared to the placebo group.

Other studies have found that massage can help lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health. In the long run, it may reduce or eliminate the need for medications. On top of that, it has no side effects and can be used on people of all ages.

Therapeutic massage has been shown beneficial in diabetes management. In a clinical trial, over 56 percent of those who received syncardial massage experienced improvements in diabetic neuropathy.

This treatment method helps regulate blood sugar levels, eases muscle tension, and reduces blood pressure and heart rate. Additionally, it lowers anxiety and stress levels in diabetic patients, which helps alleviate their symptoms and improves the body’s ability to use insulin. Furthermore, it reduces the inflammation caused by hormonal imbalances.

Evidence shows that massage is particularly effective in treating anxiety and depression. It’s also a safe, natural way to boost your energy and ward off fatigue. Regular massage sessions can reverse the cycle of depression, leading to a better mood, reduced muscle tension, pain relief, and improved quality of sleep.

Massage therapy can also strengthen your body’s natural defense and increase immunity. For this reason, it’s widely prescribed to oncology patients. Other uses of massage include:

For instance, healthcare professionals recommend massage therapy in the treatment of chronic low back pain when a patient doesn’t respond to conventional treatment. This therapy can be more effective than drugs and has none of their side effects.

Regular massage sessions can also offset the harm caused by prolonged sitting. For this reason, more and more organizations worldwide are offering massage to their employees. This form of treatment has been shown to improve productivity at the workplace and reduce the number of sick days.

Massage can lift your mood, help you focus better at work, and improve sleep duration and quality. This therapy promotes relaxation and enhances your ability to cope with stress. This leads to a more restful sleep, pain relief, and improved mental well-being.

If you’re struggling with headaches and migraines, look no further. According to researchers, a single massage session can relieve headaches and ward off stress. This treatment method raises endorphin levels in the brain, which helps block pain signals and boosts your mood.